Hubble-Monocerotis-Dunes print.
As one who has long been fascinated with
exploring our universe through optics, it was an honor to meet the founder
of the optical company that built the Hubble space telescope; by chance he was a friend of the family.
Follow the link to the left for more information.

Index of Other Photos

Gallery Los Olivos

I have a permanent display at Gallery Los Olivos, in Los Olivos, California.
I am generally at the gallery from 10 - 5, the third Thursday of each month.
Please feel free to
stop by the Gallery on one of these days or any other time.

Purchasing Prints

If you are interested in prints of any images on the web site,
please
contact me. or Gallery Los Olivos.
(My internet prices are the same as those through Gallery Los Olivos.)

In general, B&W prints are available in a number of sizes from 8x10 up to
44" wide (9800). All are printed with a dedicated B&W, carbon pigment inkset of my own design).
I do not sell color prints.

Note on Limited Editions:

In general, prints at the 11 by 14 inch size on inkjet paper are sold on an open edition basis.

Large canvas prints will be limited to 10 per image on canvas. This does not affect the
separate limits on other media, such as Arches watercolor paper.

Arches (and other un-coated) watercolor full sheet prints are also limited to 10 per image.

Both the canvas and Arches prints, combined, all images included, are limited to a one per week production.
It is my intention to never become a large volume printer.
All of my prints are made individually, as needed.

Generally, I think the "limited edition" approach has to be approached cautiously for the type of photography
and printing that I do. Images evolve and change
with time, as my then-current preferences for the look of a print change, as do the technology and materials
I use to make the print. As such, my approach to this issue is sometimes a bit different than those
who are making copies of a painting. I try to balance the limited quantity with the ability of the
image to evolve (and my life expectancy, of course).

Note that Ansel Adams
sold open edition prints -- massive numbers, often printed by assistants. His most famous images
improved as he refined his printing techniques and as materials improved. Stopping the evolution
of an image is a big mistake for photographers who are also printers pushing the limits of the medium.
"Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" is Mr. Adams' most famous example of how prints can evolve.

Arches prints - "Carbon on Cotton": I consider my most archival print technology to be
carbon pigments on Arches Hot Press (uncoated) watercolor paper.
Note that I often print on the back side of the arches for a more interesting texture and better durability.
This paper is not inkjet paper, but the finest cotton-based watercolor paper. With no coating
to crack or flake off, it is expected to have a much longer life than coated inkjet papers. Carbon pigments are also not
standard inkjet pigments. They are much more lightfast than any major commercial printing system.
This "carbon on cotton" medium, with the inkset and workflow
being developed by me, establishes a benchmark of archival
imaging and is a rather unique printing technology that I am proud to have pioneered.
As noted above, I have imposed a lifetime limit on all such images. I will never produce
more than one full sheet carbon on Arches print per week.
This limit also applies to large canvas prints, but for a different reason -- their size.

With respect to all limited edition prints,
see the terms of these editions from the Print Information labels (sometimes referred to by painters as "Certificates
of Authenticity") on the back of the prints. The basic terms also noted on labels.

Carbon pigment on Arches prints I make for others using
their files/images are not included in any of these limits.

Inkjet paper prints - Unless otherwise stated, prints are sold on an open edition basis.
Most of these are the 11x14 prints noted above, but some are of other sizes.
As with all of my fine art prints, however, I make one print at a time, as needed.
Thus the overall number of prints I make will never be very high.

Canvas prints - At the current time I am only producing what I call
"artist's proofs." These are numbered sequentially, all images included.
These are simply prints being made to perfect the techniques I will use for the final prints.
See my note, above, regarding my current expectations regarding large canvas
prints that will be introduced in September 2017.

Black & White Print and Printing Information

As noted above, I currently work in several somewhat distinct media,
with the core theme being to push the envelope in B&W photography.
As a former darkroom worker who often mixed his own developers,
the B&W inkset development work I did came rather naturally.
(A brother who was a chemist in the carbon field didn't hurt.)

At
www.PaulRoark.com/BW-Info/
I cover or link to numerous current as well as older inksets and workflows that I have used in the past.
MIS Associates (inksupply.com) continues to sell many of the older inksets that I
developed; all such work by me has been on an open-source, royalty-free basis. (I just made and
continue to make what I want and have
allowed all to use my formulas and profiles as they saw fit.) Of particular interest to
B&W printers who want the best for the least, the generic dilution base formulas for diluting
pigment inks is also linked to this page. These allow creative printers to make
their own unique and very cost effective inksets.

In addition to the B&W inksets, I'm currently very interested to achieving the spectral
response of my favorite old B&W film -- Kodak Technical Pan. This extended red response
appears to be available via digital camera cover glasses aimed at astrophotography.

September 2013 Featured Artist Show at Gallery Los Olivos

In September 2013 I was the Gallery Los Olivos "Featured Artist." This show,
"Landscapes and Cityscapes,"
occupied the front room of the gallery for that month.
For more information on the exhibit,
click here.

A Catalog of the images on display (in a smart-phone friendly format) is
here.

I currently am scheduled to have another such show in September of 2017.
There I will probably feature large canvas prints.

Articles about My Photography

The January 2010 issue of Rangefinder magazine has an interview with
me and some of my photos. To check it out on line,
click here.

The October, 2010 issue of "Cowboys & Indians" magazine also has a short article about me. See it
here.

The first of my 100% carbon inksets, sold by MIS Associates, is written up in Shutterbug
magazine. The article is on line
here. My carbon printing information page is
here

I use several Red River Paper products and beta test some of their papers. They have a short
blurb about my work
here.

The December 2013 "Shutterbug" magazine, in the Digital Help column regarding inks suggested,
"visiting a black-and-white expert's website, www.PaulRoark.com."

Santa Ynez Valley Arts (previously called the "Artists Guild")

This is a 501(c)(3) organization that encourages the artistic development
of artists of all ages and media. It is open to all on a non-juried basis.
The organization's programs include a room in Gallery Los Olivos
(the "Guild Room")
where members can show and sell their work, obtaining public feedback on the work's merit.
Additionally, there are juried shows and awards that bring attention to particularly good work and
serve to encourage the best artists. We have a
special/separate wall in the Guild room that individual members can rent for a month to showcase a body of
work. We call this the "Artist of the Month" program. The group also sponsors educational programs
open to the public on a
variety of topics of general interest related to the arts. SYV Arts is open to all, regardless of
principal place of residence. The organization
played an important roll in encouraging my photographic work, and I continue to support
and recommend it to all who want to take their art to the next level and see what might be there.

Elverhoj Museum Photo Restoration Project

As part of Solvang California's centennial celebration, the Elverhoj Museum in Solvang
displayed numerous historic images that have been contributed by local
residents, and digitally restored and printed by me. While the gallery show at the Elverhoj
is no longer up, some of the images remain in the permanent displays at the Elverhoj Museum.
Additionally, Montecito Bank and Trust at Alamo Pintado and Highway 246 has a good display of
some of my favorites. There are 100% carbon prints.
For information about the Elverhoj museum and for a book of the old photos,
click here.
For a PDF that briefly explains some of the procedures I used to
restore the old photos,
click here.